Skyrim: A Sorcerer's Tale

by Rastislav

A bored old man gets thrown into the divine playground that is Tamriel, as a descendant of a religious madman no less! Will he content himself with merely finding his way in this new world? Or will his newfound ancestry lead him to defy the vagaries of fate? Find out in this senile scribble of mine! Should you wish to descend upon the dreaded pp site do search up Rastislav156

1. Arc1 Chapters 1-11

A note before we begin:

I am uploading this to ffnet now simply because I want more people to see my story but I'd like to immediately inform everyone that I will mostly be responding to comments on webnovel and not here, the author UI gives me a mild headache whenever I look at it and the less said about the review section the better.

I started this story out as a complete noob over a year and some 700k words ago to writing so the early chapters may seem to be a slight bit ineptly written (because they really kinda were) I am happy to say that as the story goes on I have greatly improved in both my writing and storytelling capabilities so should you feel your interest slackening I recommend soldiering on for a short while at least!

That being said, I will be posting some 10 chapters a week on ffnet until we are all caught up.

Also a quick warning, I do go out of my way to describe battle damage from time to time (thus the M rating) it isn't anything wild but just in case some people get squeamish know you were warned.

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter I: Death

As I lay down on my deathbed, surrounded by my family I look back at all I have experienced through my 115 years of life.

Born in a village in a barely functioning family, went through school, college, found a job, a wife, had kids, grandkids and even great grandkids.

It all sounds idyllic, a life well lived, by all accounts I have succeeded as a human being and lived to a truly venerable age and left a long legacy. But it all felt empty, the world always seemed a bit wrong, like something was lacking in it, everything was tasteless and colorless, now I am not saying it was unbearable but the feeling was always there in the back of my head ruining my enjoyment of most things. The only times I felt slightly comforted was when my mind was adrift in fantasy.

But I was no little bitch so I lived my life, worked my ass off, made a family and grew old, as was good and proper, until one day, finally I felt my time had come.

I look towards my army of descendants and say in a very tired voice:

"I am glad I get to die as any man should, old and surrounded by his kids. Remember to always look after each other and never truly fight amongst yourselves"

Most of them understand that this was a long time coming so they simply smile at me, while some have tears in their eyes. I turn to one of my younger grandsons:

"And Ivan, stop being a little bitch and ask her to marry you already kekeke"

I hear a snort as I finally close my eyes, my last thoughts:

'Fucking hope the next place isn't shit'

Or so I thought

'where in the hell am I?'

I find myself sitting in a somewhat lavish office, my entire body giving out a slight glow

'is this my soul?'

[Correct]

My eyes snap to the old man in front of me, but my gut tells me this is far more than a mere man.

[Correct again you old fart]

'Ass'

I think as I chuckle. While the entity replies in kind.

[Oh thank fuck you aren't groveling and sputtering praises, I hate it when they do that]

'Well I am quite dead so not much to fear'

[Yes, not here anyway]

'Oh boy is this what I think it is?'

[You catch on pretty quickly, no wonder though considering your only real interest in life]

'Ok hit me with it'

[Basically souls, when they die are given a choice, answered automatically by the essence of the soul itself, it there is a wish to rest the soul is given rest, in your case however your entire being practically screams you want to live once more so that is what you are getting, and before you ask yes this is possible to do for the immense number of souls of the people dying each moment because existence is infinite and I mean that very literally]

[Now I am going to skip the lenghty explanation and simply tell you that since your soul is stronger than most you are going to keep some of your memories but most importantly your life experience, and considering where you are going and your own desires I will give you a good boost to your magic talents]

'Fuck yes!'

[Quite, speaking of where you are going, you are getting sent to a younger multiverse to the land of Tamriel, Skyrim specifically]

'Considering where I could end up, one of my favorite worlds is great'

[Indeed, I wonder how you would survive in something like a basic slice of life haha]

'I'd just end it then and there, I lived one boring ass life I don't want another'

[Well its a good thing you aren't going there then, back to the land of race wars, you aren't going to be dragonborn, Akatosh will always choose a soul native to his domain for that role]

'Understandable, at least I wont have the responsibility to save the world even if I may help out]

[It's good you understand, I do however have another offer for you though]

'Sure ill hear it'

[Since it's a young multiverse an your goals are inevitably going to guide you to pursuing immortality and dimensional travel, yes I can discern that without you telling me. I am willing to offer what you know as a system]

'Oh boy'

[Before you start screeching about cringe ass gamers it will be essentially a status screen with a quest tab that will give you balanced rewards, no inventory as you can solve that quickly enough with magic, and you can unlock some functions when you reach the appropriate skill with magic or when you complete a very important quest]

'Fair, so why are you offering this?'

[Basically, I would like you to form a group, or not, it is entirely your choice, and then perform some jobs for me, since the multiverse is rather young I will need some agents to help keep it on track so it can develop properly]

'I guess ill have to speed up that magic research then'

[Oh no worries, you can take a thousand years and I wouldn't mind, now since I can already see you accept I will add a bit of spice to any backstory you choose, don't worry it will all be mostly beneficial]

'Cool, ill be a young dunmer orphan whose parents died in the great war, they were mages and left me with at least a basic education, both mundane and magical, I also don't want to spend too long pretending to be a child awaken my memory when I am at least a teenager, also when am I starting?'

[That is very doable, you will be starting about five years before the events of the game, now if that is all I would like to send you on your way]

'I never did ask, who are you anyway?'

[Hmmm, call me Robert]

He says with a wink and my consciousness fades.

Chapter II: Getting one's bearings

(Old man's POV)

[Hey you you are finally awake!]

'Oh fuck off'

[System initiated, welcome host]

'ok, better check and make sure I am safe before playing with the system'

I find myself on the side of a cobbled road descending a mountain leading into a valley northwards, it seems to be dawn, and I am sitting alone in front of a campfire holding a bottle of cheap mead. Behind me stands a small leather tent and next to it a small sack with what I presume are my belongings.

There is a puddle of clear water next to me so, unable to contain my curiosity, I use it as an improvised mirror. When I look at it what greets me are bright red eyes, a sharp, noble face, shoulder-length black hair, and light grey skin. It feels weird not being human anymore but I will no doubt quickly get used to it. I appear to be around 185ish cm tall which is quite a bit considering I am still very much a teen.

Or would I even be considered a teen for such a long-lived race? I hope I won't need to wait three entire decades just to be considered mature enough not to kill myself with my own stupidity...

Not noticing any threat around my campsite I finally focus back on my system, I only vaguely remember my past life, my memories mostly focusing on experience, so best get that aspect out of the way as soon as possible.

'Start memory integration' I command mentally.

Not even a moment later I am clutching my head in pain "Ah fuck that hurts" A small part of me notes that my voice is a bit gravelly for someone my age, I guess all that ash fucks one up on a genetic level huh?

'Ok so as I requested I am an orphan from the imperial city. My parents moved there after the red year and both served in the legion for almost two centuries, my father became a Legionary Legate of great repute while my mother retired early and simply contented herself with being a housewife.

During the great war against the Dominion, my father suffered many long-term injuries and was also forced to retire, they had me in 4e 180 and I grew up in relative luxury of a minor military noble. I attended the local noble school and was taught some beginner magic by my father.

Both my parents were killed in 4e 196 during an incident with a Thalmor agent while they were having a walk around the city, the entire event was swiftly covered up by the Empire. Disgusted by this turn of events I quickly left for Skyrim, intending to join the college there so I can get as far away from all of the disingenuous bullshit.

Anyway, I'll sort through the details later as I should find civilization instead of sitting here brooding about memories I still feel only the barest connection to.

'status'

[Name: Reyvin][House: Dagoth]

[Age: 16][Race: Dunmer][Sign: Mage]

(Average adult score is 10)

[Str: 7][Dex: 9][Vit: 7][Mind: 15][Mag: 120]

'Oh boy, ole' Bobby did say he would spice it up but I guess I underestimated just how spicy he meant! oh well, time to teach the mongrel dogs of Skyrim how they cannot be racist shits to a god... or well the descendant of one anyway, yes you heard it right I am indeed the grandson of big Daddy Dagoth the one and only god of the Dunmer, better not show myself before Azura's statue at all ever.

Filing that absolute clusterfuck waiting to blow in my face for later I decided to look over my skills.

[Skills only represent your abilities and do not enhance them, the values are basic- novice- apprentice- adept- expert- master]

[Mage skills]

[Destruction-novice: Flames]

[Alteration-novice: Oakflesh, Minor Telekinesis]

[Restoration-novice: Heal]

[Alchemy-novice]

[Enchantment-basic]

[Warrior skills]

[Swordfighting-basic]

[Traits]

[Fireblood: Born under the fire of Red Mountain you are blessed with 50% resistance and 20% damage and control toward fire]

[Blood of Dagoth: You descend from a mad religious extremist, who non the less achieved a degree of godhood, providing you with a prolonged lifespan and the third eye trait]

[Third Eye: The metaphysical third eye you inherited grants you perception over Magicka]

'So I know enough magic not to die to a wolf and enough swordsmanship to use a blade as one instead of as a hammer, and looks like being a Dagoth does have its benefits. I have to admit I am very surprised that I inherited anything from the madman.

Maybe he made sure his bloodline remained supreme or whatever other megalomaniacal thing that came to his battered mind...

Opening the sack I find my magic notes, with some spells I was researching, some 150 septims, a basic alchemy kit, and an iron saber in good condition. The simple robe I am wearing is all the clothing I brought along with travel-worthy leather boots. Looking at the map I have folded in my notes I find that I am about half a day's walk from Helgen.

[Quest added: Reach Helgen today]

[Reward: an opportunity for free lodging]

'Huh, I guess that is what he meant when he said balanced rewards, oh well off I go then... After I pack all of this up' I groan, reminded of the annoying fact I was not granted any kind of inventory.

(General POV)

Some hours later Reyvin can be seen absentmindedly picking flowers while walking along the road. 'At least I don't have to eat them since most people actually write down recipes these days' He shivers as the next thoughts come to mind 'Imagine having to eat a giant's toe...'

The flower picking continues for some time until suddenly he hears a child scream not far in front of him.

'Fuck I hope it isn't bandits, I still don't even know if I can fight other people competently...' He takes a deep breath and follows the noise with a determined yet cautious look on his face.

Soon he spots a Nord girl running away from a lone starved wolf, just barely managing not to get mauled as she notices the robed elf in the distance.

Quickly forming a plan he shouts to her while pulling out his saber "Run towards me and when you get close jump to the side!"

Catching a glimpse of hope the panicked child immediately listens to the adult's voice and in seconds she only meters in front of Reyvin, the wolf not far behind.

Reyvin takes one final deep breath and yells "NOW!"

She throws herself to the side just in time to not get covered in a torrent of flames, the wolf being not as fortunate whimpers pitifully for a moment before becoming extra crispy and leaving this mortal coil.

A couple of seconds pass as both of them take long breaths and try to calm down.

"Well, I sure as hell ain't getting a pelt out of that one." Reyvin says with a strained chuckle, attempting to calm his nerves after brutally burning another living being,

the now surprisingly calm child looks at him and smiles, reminding him of just how ridiculous his new neighbors, the Nords are "Thank you for saving me, mister" She says cheerfully.

"It's no problem kid, I am guessing you are from Helgen, right?" She nods "I am heading that way you might as well come with me." He waves for her to follow him and starts walking.

"Ok, my da owns the tavern, he will give you a drink for sure!"

"Well, we have to hurry up then, don't want to be late for it." The elf happily urges her on, already thinking of how nice a drink would be after all that.

An hour later they enter the tavern, the girl immediately rushes the man who looks like the owner of the place and starts excitedly retelling her adventure, halfway through the tale the man stops listening to her and walks toward Reyvin "Be welcome traveler, and thank you for protecting my daughter. Those damn wolves are getting braver every damn day" He says shaking his head "Anyway, name's Vilod the owner of the tavern, I hear you want a room?"

"Yes, just for a night and a hot meal and bath would do as well" The elf requests with a tired voice.

Vilod nods happily and signals toward a free table "Make yourself at home, you can stay for free whenever you like"

"My thanks sera, I will be taking that bath now if possible."

"Sure thing, dinner is in half an hour."

Reyvin nods and walks into the room Vilod pointed him to and takes his time relaxing in the large wooden basin inside, the warm water taking out a good chunk of the day's stress.

'Oh it seems that notifications are hidden when in combat huh'

[Quest Completed: Protect the innkeeper's daughter][Reward: free lodging]

[Hidden quest completed: Defeat the wolf without the child getting harmed][Reward: Minor warrior's blessing]

'Huh, hidden quests are a thing as well, neat'

After a very long bath, Reyvin finally leaves the small room and grabs something to eat, quickly inserting himself into the patrons' conversations while fishing for rumors. It was mostly complaints about the Thalmor and their Justiciars hunting down people willy-nilly, one makes a comment about all elves but quickly corrects himself as he hears the tale of Reyvin saving Vilod's daughter.

'Who could have guessed, if you aren't a s'witt people don't treat you like one...' Reyvin inwardly chuckles, and then nearly facepalms as he realizes he had inherited his current self's mannerisms.

'First day on Tamriel and I already got to save a child, fight a wolf and my greatest achievement yet: got a bunch of Nords to respect a Dunmer.' Reyvin reminisces as he lays in his bed 'Five years until the world goes to shit... that is if my knowledge even holds up still. I will have to grind my magic like a madman unless I want to become dragon food.'

'Suddenly that little powerup from Dagoth doesn't seem all that bad...' And with those happy thoughts, his mind drifted into sleep.

Chapter III: Start of the journey

Reyvin got up early the next morning and quickly busied himself with crushing the flowers he collected during his little hike using his alchemy kit, a rather simple mortar and pestle, in hopes of selling the low-level salves. They were not anything special but they would stop infections and heal cuts, something a bunch of farmers and the like were happy to pay for.

'This is surprisingly therapeutic' Reyvin thought with a hum as he made a nice red paste with his pestle.

"Morning mister elf!" The little girl from yesterday whose name he learned to be Sigrun greeted him loudly. She looked to be completely recovered from the previous day's events bringing an easy smile to Reyvin's face.

"Hey there kid, up early I see" He greets her.

"Well you said you would be leaving early so I had to say bye" She immediately states as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"How polite, well since you are here how about you show me around, I need to visit the store anyway" He packs his kit and slowly gets up while the girl almost attempts to drag him with her with how excited she was.

After being enthusiastically shown all around Helgen Reyvin managed to sell the salves he made for a dozen septims and bought enough supplies to last him the trip to Whiterun.

'It will take me about 2 days to reach Riverwood and another to reach the city, the real Skyrim is far larger than what the game had shown, which is honestly a good thing... though the traveling will be annoying.' He mumbles to himself as he looks over a rudimentary map before he simply shrugs 'Oh well guess it's time to break all those inane laws about mages teleporting around'

"You seem to be one of them mage types eh elf?" The shopkeeper asks almost politely by Nord standards, he and Reyvin were having light conversation as the elf looked over the man's stock.

"Yes, I dare call myself a practitioner of the arcane arts." Reyvin responds with a bit of dramatic flair.

"Hah, good to hear." The man chuckles at the elf's theatricality "Anyway I got an interesting little ring some time back from my supplier said it helps mages cast more spells or something"

"Let me take a look" Reyvin immediately turns serious, magical items were quite literally the difference between life and death and the old man turned young elf did not wish to die just yet if he could help it.

The shopkeeper takes out a simple silver ring with very tiny blue veins along the surface, and while Reyvin was not good enough to enchant items himself he was taught how to identify them relatively quickly and, much to his satisfaction, this appeared to be a ring of Magicka.

A lesser one, true but enough to fuel the flames spell for a couple more seconds at the very least.

"How much?" He asks the shopkeeper with a serious look.

"Well considering that you aren't an ass like your western cousins I'd be willing to part with it for a 100 septims" The man smirks.

'Huh, that is a surprisingly fair price who would have guessed' Reyvin mumbles before noding at the man "Sure I'll take it"

"Not even going to barter eh?" The Nord raises an eyebrow.

Only to get waved off by Reyvin "The price is fair so there is no need"

The man smiles seeming pleasantly surprised.

Reyvin quickly puts the ring on and gives him the money, immediately he feels his magicka rise by about 15 which is a pretty decent increase. "Thank you for this, might save my life"

"Sure thing, safe travels" The man nods.

Reyvin waves to him as he leaves back to the tavern. Soon after saying his goodbyes he leaves through the gate and starts walking down the road towards Riverwood.

The first day of travel goes relatively peacefully, the only interruption was another starved wolf, going from well done to congratulations in record speed.

He spends his resting time learning the next level of his pyromantic spells, specifically the firebolt which is far more complex than simply channeling Magicka through your hand and setting it on fire.

It required the Magicka to be condensed and sufficiently heavy for a lack of a better word to be launched in a straight line. Surprisingly as one advances through the ranks all spells seem to retain their relevance with flames becoming thicker, firebolts curving and fireballs exploding far more violently, at least that is what the notes he took from his father's journal say.

'I always did think that the spell system was far too rigid in the game' Reyvin nodded to himself, satisfied with the change.

The morning of the second day he finds himself walking next to a small forest between the road and the nearby river.

'The one leading into the big ass lake north of Falkreath if I remember right' He scratches his chin in thought as he walks and leisurely enjoys the fresh air.

He stilled completely and then quickly hid as he heard two men speaking in a brash tone just beyond the trees.

"What are we going to do to that Breton bitch?" One asks "she froze Thoralds foot off!"

"What do you mean "what are we going to do"" The other answers "She might be a bit young but we can have some fun before we off her kekekeke"

"I dunno man seems kinda wrong to me" The first shifts uncomfortably

His 'friend' spits on the ground "Well then you shouldn't have offed that dickhead in Whiterun and you wouldn't be here"

"Fuck you man I didn't run away so I get my rocks off"

"Eh more for me then, you little pussy"

The slightly more honorable bandit huffs and walks off

Reyvin hearing this gets properly pissed off as any self-respecting man should in this situation and starts sneaking behind the little shit that suggested something so vile.

Thankfully he is dressed very light and had the good sense to leave his travel supplies behind on the road. The bandit doesn't take notice until it is far too late and the blade of a saber is stabbed through his neck. He gurgles and tries to struggle but a magic-empowered grey hand that seems covered in wood covers his mouth and stops him from alerting his buddies.

'I just killed a man but honestly, if I had to choose who my first kill would be it is definitely this kind of shitstain'

Leaving the body for later looting as he isn't a damn s'wit he continues stalking toward the tents he noticed a bit further in the forest. The other bandit he overheard appears to be thinking hard about his life choices, but unfortunately for him looking at the ground absentmindedly is of no help for seeing a dark elf swinging for his neck.

Overestimating the quality of his saber and the strength given by oakflesh Reyvin is surprised when while mortally wounding the bandit it is still not enough for an insta-kill. The man lets out a pitiful wail alerting the only remaining bandit who comes out of the camp holding a dark haired amber eyed Breton teen with a knife to her throat.

'She looks familiar...' Reyvin thinks absent-mindedly.

The bandit glares at Reyvin and yells "YOU FUCKING ELF SHIT! drop the sword right now or the girl gets it!"

Thinking quickly and remembering he didn't use any visible magic Reyvin sighs and drops the saber on the ground, spreading his hands to his sides as a sign of surrender.

The bandit thinking his plan worked tosses the girl to the side and starts running towards him ready to end him with his knife. Unfortunately for him in his excitement he seems to have forgotten that the girl he just tossed is a mage, quickly getting his entire back covered in frostbite for his trouble.

Seeing this opportunity Reyvin shoots the most powerful wave of fire he can and the bandit is turned into a charred spot on the ground.

Picking up his saber he approaches the girl slowly, she eyes him suspiciously but doesn't react. He raises his hand in a show of assurance and asks "Are there any more of these n'wahs around?"

The girl is silent and simply shakes her head.

"Sigh, ok good" And he promptly turns and starts retching realizing he just burned a man alive.

About a minute later he gets himself together and looks at the girl whose face shows an expression of curiosity almost as if confused by his reaction.

'Fucking kids shouldn't consider this normal'

"What are you doing in the forest anyway?" he asks her

She looks at him for a minute and says "I ran away from my people, and ran into these fools, if they didn't surround me I could have taken them"

"Ah yes because shooting nords with frost magic is a great damn idea" Reyvin snarks at the young woman.

She looks offended and huffs "Well do excuse my inability but not all of us can simply burn everything without tiring out immediately"

"Fair, fair, anyway why did you run off?" He asks as he takes a seat to rest up a bit.

"My mother wanted to sacrifice me to become a Hagraven" she says in a deadpan voice

"Well fuck..."

She seems to be a mage and has nowhere to go, might as well.

"Well I am traveling towards Winterhold to join the college of mages there, it's pretty far away but it should be safe from any persecution you might face if anyone finds out your origins"

She thinks about it for a bit and nods but looks at me with suspicion "While 'tis the best option I have I won't let myself be turned into one of your "Fetchers" elf, I will be watching you"

He looks at her gobsmacked, starts laughing, and then asks, almost unsure "I am fairly certain you aren't Argonian?" Shaking his head he heads back toward the first bandit he offed.

A silence follows for a good minute before Reyvin shrugs and says "Well I am looting the shit out of this place and will leave for Riverwood soon, you can stay here and be suspicious or we can get moving"

She narrows her eyes but quickly realizing her savior was right she soon starts packing things up as well.

The bandits are as expected poor as shit, all he manages to dig up are 50-ish septims two daggers, and a sword, all iron. One of the bandits has a silver ring so he takes that as well. "What is your name anyway? Mine is Reyvin"

The young woman stops her scrounging and packing for a second before continuing and saying "Morrigan"

'Fucking knew I recognized her from somewhere' Reyvin cheers inwardly 'Though there are subtle differences from what I remember that might just be because she is younger...'

"Well Morrigan we have quite some daylight left so we might as well start walking" He says with false cheer.

"Yes I wouldn't want to smell these fools for a second longer"

"Well make sure to wash your tent then"

"Ugh, can we swap?" she asks almost pleading

"Nope" He says popping the p

And now followed by the grumbling witch he sets off towards Riverwood.

Chapter IV: Whiterun hold

They arrived at Riverwood late in the afternoon, the village looked like it held about 200 residents and was far more spread out than one would expect of the time period, there were even some farms across the river as well as a palisade surrounding the entire place.

'Guess they aren't idiots at least' Reyvin mused as they approached the gate.

The guards at the gate wore the Whiterun emblem on their scaled armor and seemed sufficiently alert for their position.

"Ho there travelers, what brings you to Riverwood" greets one of the guards.

"Just passing through and heading to Whiterun sera, we are looking to stay the night and will not cause any trouble" Reyvin answers while giving a pointed look at his companion who huffs and looks to the side. The entire walk on the way here she kept pestering him about every little thing so much so that even with his century of experience he almost threw a tantrum.

The guardsman nods along, looking him over just in case but finding no reason to be suspicious "Should be no problem, you aren't merchants so there is no toll just keep your nose clear and we'll be good"

"Of course" he nods and heads inside. The inner village looks surprisingly clean and children are running around the place causing all manner of havoc.

'Shame what the war will do to this entire place, I may be able to kill the shit out of Ulfric before he starts his whole reee quest but he would just be replaced by someone who doesn't even pretend to have principles, and I am under no illusion I can stop a bunch of belligerent Nords from smashing skulls' The urging of his new witch companion draws his attention back to the present.

They continue inside and find a general store. Reyvin manages to sell off his loot for some 50 septims and buys a well-made shirt of padded armor for his chest, being stabbed is rather cringe so he preferred avoiding such a fate.

His companion bought a simple but still quality dark grey robe so she doesn't stand out too much, the price of which irritates him to no end but at that point, he had listened to her pestering the entire way to the village and had no more patience so he relented and let her waste the money.

He also easily noticed a golden claw in the corner of the shop but decided not to open that can of worms right now, while he might be able to slowly and methodically clear the nearby barrow it is far too risky and he cannot be sure it is just as dangerous as in the game and not far more, there could be a damn dragon priest inside and he isn't Nerevar who can just CHIM his way out of death.

After they were done with their impromptu shopping trip they entered the Sleeping Giant inn, immediately being placed under the suspicious glances and outright glares of the patrons while the owner had her own calculative look on her face.

'Of course, Delphine would have at least an idea about me, my father was a fucking terminator at the battle of the red ring' Reyvin grouses internally, he did not want to get involved with her while so weak.

He ignored her gaze and sat down across from his companion.

"So how are you liking civilization so far, not missing your bone-covered cave dweller friends?"

She huffs "Why would I miss those fools, and besides these ones aren't any better"

Reyvin shrugs her response off as the childish complaining that it was "Well at least they don't sleep in caves covered with barely functioning clothing and more importantly don't serve a bunch of cannibalistic witches"

Morrigan huffs once more but then relents "Yes, the lack of caves is indeed a good change"

They are interrupted by the bartender or whatever you would call one in this time period, Ognar if he remembers correctly, they order their food, a good stew and something to drink while also reserving a two bed room. They continue discussing the difference between the Nords and Forsworn for some time until they are unceremoniously joined by a somewhat lanky orc.

"Evenin' you two, can I have a seat?" He asks with a youthful yet gruff voice.

"Sure" The elf answers before his companion can give her expectedly scathing answer.

"Thanks" He takes a seat next to him and asks "You two heading out to Whiterun I hear."

"It appears that word spreads fast, yes we are headed to Whiterun and beyond." Reyvin answers easily "What's it to you?"

"Well I am also going that way and thought you might use some company, I may not look it but I am a beast with a spear, oh and name's Durrak by the way, Durrak Gro-Barg" he offers his hand which the elf grasps firmly.

Well, as firm as he can with his stick-like hands.

"Reyvin" He introduces himself "And the annoyed one is Morrigan, I wouldn't mind the company honestly, there are far too many bandits in this land, or well in any land after the war."

"True, you can't ever be too safe, so I am guessing you two are going to Winterhold after Windhelm, you seem the type."

Reyvin's eye twitches 'Do only mages wear robes these days, we could be priests dammit!'

"That we are" Reyvin admits after a moment "We are both aspirants in the arcane arts and I would at least want to spend some time in Whiterun learning the blade from someone. Sometimes just lopping someone's head off is far easier than burning them, eh?"

"Very true my new friend!" The orc nods "No need to complicate it."

"And what about you Durrak?" Reyvin asks.

Durrak nearly jumps in excitement "I am travelling Skyrim to become a true warrior! I am but a whelp now but one day I will be the greatest of them all!"

"Would you shut the bloody hell up Orc?!" One of the patrons yells and Durrak sits back down with a dusting of red on his cheeks.

"You sure don't aim low huh" Reyvin smirks at the young man.

"Ah yes, the greatest dead warrior indeed" Morrigan snarks but surprisingly the orc is not offended and merely smiles.

"And that is the best part, no one believes me so it will be so much better when I show them my might." He flexes his hand... and doesn't react when there is barely any movement upon it.

They continue chatting into the night and later split up and go to sleep.

The morning is a bit rainy but thankfully their clothes are made for travel, with Durrak wearing a thick leather cloak over his iron chest plate, while the robes of the mages are equipped with a hood.

Their walk passes without incident and soon they are greeted by the tall walls of Whiterun, much like Riverwood the city itself is far larger than the game had shown, the districts are about ten times as large and populous, at least from what Reyvin can guess, and the walls themselves are surrounded by a great sprawl of buildings, likely making up their own district.

They quickly find some cheap lodgings on the outskirts and get ready to explore the city.

The morning is far brighter than the last one so they get up early, the gate guard lets them in with no fuss, this is the most visited city in Skyrim after Solitude after all. They quickly visit the local shops, selling some salves and ingredients they picked up on the way and buying some bracers for Reyvin and a simple staff for Morrigan that helps channel weaker spells, this sets them back some money and they find that they still need more for their trip, it would after all not be useful for anyone if they reached Winterhold lacking their limbs.

They quickly find a noticeboard near the tavern sitting in the center of the wind district, most of the things are simple menial labor and the like but there is one bandit hunting quest, the nearby mountainside cave has been taken over by some bloke calling himself Ironhand and they are terrorizing the local farms and have even robbed a trader some days back, the reward is pretty large, a bit less than 200S each, and should let them get some decent upgrades, but the number of the bandits is said to be a dozen.

"Well, we could try and sneak up on some of them, thin the herd so to say..." Reyvin thinks aloud.

"Or we can just smash them so fast their numbers just don't matter" Answered the Orc with a toothy grin.

"Or..." Morrigan interjects with a scowl "We could just take our time, do easier things, wait a couple of days, and earn our money that way, no need to risk ourselves over doing the guards' work for them."

"Nah, we still need to gain some experience while traveling and this is a good opportunity for it, you can just stay behind the two of us anyway and use that weird root magic you showed me yesterday to fuck with the bandits, me and Durrak will do most of the fighting." Reyvin assures her.

'Well while she may look like her and have the same name, I have to remember that this is still just a teenage girl who ran from a bunch of forsworn, and while she might be jaded that doesn't make her brave, besides'

[Quest initiaded: Clear out the ironhand bandits][Reward: +5mag] [Subquest initiaded: Protect your companions from permanent harm][Reward: an insight into your restoration magic]

'These are pretty good rewards on their own, my restoration has been progressing somewhat slowly, but that is mostly just the heal spell being ridiculously Magicka intensive, a simple cut takes a third of my tank, and it takes me about a good twenty minutes to recharge fully'

"Besides getting to Winterhold as soon as possible will help us in the long run. Well help the two of us, I don't know where you plan to go Durrak" Reyvin continues convincing his first companion while giving the Orc a side glance.

"Well you both seem like decent enough people, so I don't mind heading north with you, might even get into some troll fights HAH!" Is the expected enthusiastic answer.

'sigh, orcs'

Morrigan tsks audibly but eventually agrees "Fine, but if I get as much of a scratch from there you won't hear the end of it"

"I believe you" Reyvin shivers remembering their walk to Riverwood. He quickly gets back on topic "Well then lets go see the steward and head off towards the bandits, they won't off themselves"

Durrak chuckles, while Morrigan rolls her eyes as they head towards the cloud district.

Chapter V: Bandits

The talk with the steward went relatively quickly, Proventus asked them if they were sure we could complete the bounty and gave them all the details he had on the bandits. They already mostly knew them from the notice board and general gossip so the group quickly came up with a very basic plan.

Bandits generally did their 'work' during nighttime so attacking during the day was the best choice available. Most of them would still be rested as a rotation was no doubt in place but any tired bandit was a plus.

Before heading out, Reyvin visited the famously annoying Court Wizard of Whiterun, Farengar Secret-fire but much to his great surprise the Court Mage greeted him with a polite smile and simply inquired "How can I help you young mage?"

Quickly hiding his surprise Reyvin explained "I am looking for some basic books and spells on conjuration, and also any lesser enchanted items you may have for when we return."

Farengar nodded approvingly "Ah, of course, the bandits, I heard they were getting very annoying recently"

"S'wits the lot of them" Reyvin nodded along "In any case, do you have any spell recommendations for an aspiring mage such as myself?"

After a cursory look, Farengar hummed and asked "Well you seem to be actively using a sidearm, so maybe a bound weapon? They need no maintenance so they are always a good choice."

Intrigued by the idea Reyvin asked "How does a bound weapon work in application, I can pay if that information is something valuable to you of course."

Farengar chuckled before waving him off "No need, it is a rather basic spell when starting out, essentially you learn to shape Magicka into a weapon, then make it take your preferred shape and as the potency of your Magicka grows so does the potency of your weapon, of course, the spell can be altered at later stages for added effects and can even be used as a medium for magic"

"Huh, that is actually far better than I originally expected." Reyvin muttered "How much for that spell book and any notes you might have on it?"

"Well my focus was never on conjuration or... alteration for that matter so I have just the basics, but you can have both for a mere 150 septims." Farengar offered "I don't mind helping an ambitious young mind, especially if they make my job easier by removing the surrounding ne'er-do-wells. As for enchanted items I mostly do them by commission so all I have lying around is a simple ring of restoration that was not up to the standards of the local healers you can have that one for a mere 50"

'This will wipe out all of my savings but that spell seems pretty good, the ring is a no go though a minor boost won't change much' Reyvin took all of three seconds to ponder before giving his answer "I'll take the books for now"

"But of course, good luck" Farengar sent him off with his new spellbook.

"Thank you." He said and walked back to his group.

Durrak seemed to be almost giddy with anticipation, while Morrigan seemed more nervous than before.

"You both ready?" Reyvin asked and received two nods. He clapped eagerly and started walking out of Dragonsreach "Well, off we go then"

The entire way to their destination Reyvin had his nose stuck in his new book, he knew there was no chance for him to actually manage the spell so quickly but any progress was good progress.

He absent-mindedly checked out his system as he walked.

[Str: 7][Dex: 9][Vit: 7.2][Mind: 15][Mag: 122]

'Huh all this walking does seem to be pretty healthy for me, and the magic practice is paying dividends, let's see the skills then'

[Destruction-novice 60%: Flames, Firebolt]

[Alteration-novice 35%: Oakflesh, Minor telekinesis]

[Restoration-novice 40%: Heal(self), Heal(other)]

[Conjuration-basic 20%]

[Alchemy-novice 70%]

[Enchantment-basic 90%]

[Swordfighting-novice 0%]

'Shanking bandits is actually pretty good for learning how to swing a sword, who could have guessed?' He thought sarcastically 'Although to be fair merely reaching the novice level means I won't remove my own hand mid-battle and not much beyond that.'

As they were walking he started explaining restoration to Morrigan who only knew some criomancy and alteration, he preferred if she knew at least the basics just in case he emptied his reserve and someone was wounded. The most basic restoration spell won't regenerate anyone but it will stop them from bleeding out.

They reached the ironhand camp sometime later, it appeared to be a cave that led to something of a balcony up top, where he guessed some lookouts should be. Surprisingly, or not considering these were a bunch of untrained ruffians with maybe one experienced fighter, there wasn't a single one up there. At the entrance, two bandits were sitting and drinking mead without a care in the world and completely unaware of their surroundings.

The three adventurers made a quick plan and started sneaking toward them, unfortunately, Durrak accidentally banged his spear on a nearby pot and startled the guards who reached for their weapons as fast as they could while stumbling over their seats.

Reyvin, long since suspecting that a heavily armored orc wasn't the sneaky type was already launching a firebolt at one of the bandits, the impact caused a small explosion to happen on the man's face, making it resemble a crushed watermelon before the charred bits spread all over the place.

The second guard, now scared shitless, was too slow to react to the armored orc ramming a spear into his throat with surprising strength.

"Whew, thank fuck there weren't more of them here or that could have gone badly" Reyvin breathed out in relief.

"We killed them easily didn't we tho?" Asked a confused orc now cleaning his weapon with his sleeve.

Smiling wryly Reyvin shrugged "Well yes, but imagine if they called the entire camp, we would have been completely and utterly fucked."

The orc merely shrugged back and started walking to the entrance.

The inside of the cave was covered in mismatched loot of low value, furniture, dishes, and the like.

"I am guessing the actually valuable stuff is upstairs." Reyvin remarked "Well, might as well keep going, never know when they might notice us"

Not long after they found another group, five this time, sitting around a table and were immediately noticed.

Following their previous plans, Reyvin immediately started tossing firebolts while Durrak charged, Morrigan was using her alteration to trip the bandits by way of summoning roots near their feet.

The first bandit fell much like his predecessor with a bolt of fire to the face, two of the bandits tried to gang up on the orc with their axes but his armor and reach advantage stopped him from getting overwhelmed stabbing one of them in the leg he managed to keep both busy.

Among the bandits one seemed to be armored fully in iron wielding a sword and shield, he charged at the elf that just ended his friend, who immediately sent a bolt his way. The bandit's shield saved his life, turning the potentially lethal injury into a mere stagger. Realizing he wasn't going to achieve anything by being cautious the large man rushed at the now tired looking mage with furious glee in his eyes.

'Fuck I didn't think firebolts would be this intensive, only 4 of them and I am almost out' Reyvin groused internally as he unsheathed his sidearm.

He tried to hold the bandit off with his saber, but the man was far larger and heavier than him and simply shield slammed him into the ground. Reyvin was gasping for breath when he saw his enemy go for the kill... and then get his face covered in a wave of frost.

'Damn that was close' he quickly got up and with all his remaining Magicka sent a wave of flame to the man that was trying to sneak up on the distracted witch. 'I might slowly be becoming a pyromaniac' The Dunmer thought absent mindedly as he looked at the burning man.

During this brief bout of danger, Durrak finished both his enemies, surprising his companions with his skill. The Orc noticed their surprise and smirked triumphantly "Told ya I was a beast"

Reyvin patted his shoulder like one might do to a child before sitting down nearby "Sure you are buddy now I need to sit down, throwing around this much magic is tiring."

They sat around for some ten minutes and decided to head forward, thankfully the reports on the notice board were wrong as there was only one bandit remaining, sitting on the balcony at the top of the cave, he was wearing steel armor and next to him was a steel warhammer, and most importantly a large ornate chest.

Sharing a couple of glances between each other the trio started walking behind him, but he simply sighed, stood up, and looked at them with disdain and boredom in his eyes "Now I have to round up some new fools to serve me, how will you repay me for that?"

The only answer he got in return was a snort and a sudden wave of fire blazing in his direction. Surprisingly he merely charged through taking almost no visible damage, but on the other side what awaited him was a spear aiming for him, he mentally scoffed thinking that there was no way they thought he would fall for that, when suddenly he tripped, the last thing he saw before he got impaled was brown roots holding his legs.

'Well that was anticlimactic, good thing there are three of us, he seemed strong' Reyvin thought in relief, he then spoke in a tired voice "Alright let's check what he was hoarding and get the hell out of here. I need a bed and some mead after this."

His companions agreed and started looking around the place. Inside the chest, they found some septims and gems, as well as some jewelry. The bandit leader's gauntlets seemed to have an enchantment that helps with great weapons so Durrak took that, and also his armor while he was at it, it might be too large for him but it can be fitted back in the city.

They spent about an hour resting and looting the place, finding some lesser healing potions and also a lot of mushrooms, which were pretty good for making said potions so Reyvin eagerly grabbed them. Morrigan finally deigned to mention that she was also a trained alchemist, not surprising due to her origins, what was surprising was the fact that she claimed she was even better than the elf which in his own words was not a great achievement.

Soon they were walking back towards the city, tired and battered yes, but also richer in both wealth and experience.

Chapter VI: Ballin, and Tavern-Talk

As the party was tiredly trudging back toward Whiterun Reyvin checked his notifications.

[Multiple quests completed]

[Mag: 122 = 127]

[Restoration-novice 40% = 70%]

He suddenly felt a slight bit more heavy in a metaphysical sense, and his restoration spells seemed like they were simpler than before 'So this is how it works, huh' he thought as they reached the gate.

"You got those shits eh?" The gate guard asks with 0 preamble.

"Aye, they shattered in front of my spear, just as Malakath intended." Says a very excited orc, his two companions though seemed much less enthusiastic after hours of walking and fighting.

"I donno about Malakath, but I sure do appreciate you taking care of them, go on in the Jarl will likely want to speak with you" The guard points his thumb behind him.

They enter the city and start cursing at the fact that they have to climb again, well at least the mages do, Durrak seems so happy with his victory that he doesn't even notice the trip until they are already at the doors of the palace.

They walk up to the throne where the jarl seems to be shouting at a sleazy dark skinned man who is cowering like a dog. "AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY PALACE NAZEEM I SWEAR TO THE GODS THE NEXT TIME YOU RUN YOUR DAMN MOUTH ILL!"

"Calm down my jarl I think he got the message" The steward, Avenicci if Reyvin's memory served, tries to defuse the situation with a placating voice.

"Fine, get out, now!" the jarl huffs and sits back down.

Nazeem scampers off with surprising speed not even noticing the three new arrivals who then proceed to stand before the jarl.

'The man, the myth, the legend jarl Ballin himself' Reyvin thinks to himself with an internal chuckle.

He gives the man a light bow and speaks "Greetings Jarl, we would like to report that the ironhand bandits have been dealt with, although whoever informed you of the numbers was wrong, since there were just over half of them present on site."

Balgruuf nods, unsurprised "This was to be expected, there was another group of them that were caught by the sleazebag's guards after you left"

'Huh so I guess he came here to brag and went a bit too far' Reyvin surmises easily.

"No matter" The Jarl waves it off "The most important part is that the leader, Hajvarr was slain, and from your Orcish friend's new gauntlets I can see that is the case" he nods toward Durrak.

"Oh, so these are of some renown then?" Reyvin asks with a raised eyebrow.

Balgruuf looks to be reminiscing before nodding "Yes, they belonged to the small Iron-hand clan of Whiterun, but the man you took them off was the last member and turned to banditry so you can keep them without any worries"

"My thanks chief." says Durrak smiling thinking about all the things he can slay now.

Balgruuf rewards the Orc with a stoic nod before once more speaking to Reyvin, whom he understood was the unspoken leader of the group "As for your reward, you will still be given the full amount, as I said the leader was the most important, also I overheard you were heading towards Windhelm sometime soon, I have another request to make of you"

They all shared a glance and after some shrugs Reyvin turned back to Balgruuf "As long as we are capable of doing it I don't see an issue with it."

The jarl nods towards Avenicci who gives them a letter, afterwards he continues "I need this letter delivered to Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, within a week at the latest, there will be a bonus added to your reward now since I don't think you will be coming back very soon"

Reyvin seems surprised by this and asks "Why would you trust us so quickly? We are newcomers and outlanders to you."

The Jarl chuckles "It is not that important of a letter, and you have already shown your honor by slaying the bandits, besides if you cheat me you will not be welcome to Whiterun again, and I don't think you are stupid" He finishes a bit more darkly.

"Fair enough, we should reach Windhelm in four days if there are not too many complications." Reyvin accepts easily enough.

After the conversation with the Jarl, the trio excused themselves, Morrigan went out to get them a place at the inn, Durrak went to get his new armor fitted and to sell off the bandit's weapons and armor he carried back, while Reyvin once more paid a visit to Farengar.

"Ah you are back, I see that they were not enough to injure you" The Court Mage greets him with a jovial smile, the middle-aged man seemingly happy that a talented mage was not snuffed out before his time.

Reyvin waves his hand in a 'so-so' motion "One of them did rattle me a bit but we came out on top, I still didn't learn the previous spell I got from you but since we will be heading out for quite some time, I need some books on wards, enchanting and alchemy if you have them."

"I do, just a lesser ward and some recipe books though the enchantment manuals are very pricy." He says to the elf basically telling him that he cannot afford it.

Reyvin shrugs, already satisfied with his gains "Sure, I'll take the first two then, and any notes on the wards if you have them"

"Of course" The older mage starts rummaging through a chest in the corner of the room, and after sneezing from all the dust inside he comes back "Here you go that will be two hundred septims"

Reyvin pays him and goes to find his companions.

As they are eating in the tavern late in the evening they strike up a conversation:

"So Morrigan what are your plans when we get to the college" Reyvin asks while chewing on a sweet roll. It was not as good as the confectionaries he was used to but it would do in a pinch.

"I plan to get so powerful no one will bother me of course, and rich too, say what you will about living freely in the wilds but after tasting the luxuries here I will need all the money I can get" She smiles with greed in her eyes.

'What have I created' Reyvin thinks with a slight building horror. He turns to his Orcish friend "What about you Durrak what are your long-term goals besides beating the shit out of anyone and everyone?" he asks with a smile, the orc's simple outlook was definitively starting to grow on him.

"Well, then I will beat the shit out of not mere everyone but everyTHING! Just imagine what fun it will be to crush those pesky totally-not-goblin Falmer and their master's toys HAH!"

A small, evil part of Reyvin told him 'Well at least I will have someone to take the hits for me then' but he was mostly entertained by the Orc's enthusiasm.

"What are your plans Reyvin, all you ever mentioned was going to the college and nothing beyond that." Morrigan asks him, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

He shrugs in response "Well, my plans are pretty similar to yours in essence, get powerful enough so that people prefer to leave me alone instead of trying to kill me for my ancestry, and also so I can explore the world without much issue."

"Your ancestry?" Durrak asks confused "I am pretty sure that the Nords don't dislike you that much" Morrigan merely hums along waiting for the real explanation.

Reyvin scowls lightly before righting himself "Let us just say that my house is not well-liked, even after after all these years the house of Dagoth is still reviled for the deeds of my ancestor."

Durrak merely looks confused while there is a hint of recognition in Morrigan's eyes "I can see how being related to that madman might make people bay for your blood..."

"Ah yes dear old grandfather did get really high on that Lorkhan juice didn't he" Reyvin smiles wryly.

Now she looks surprised "He actually had kids? Even the hags knew he had a massive thing for your Saint Nerevar."

Reyvin actually laughs at this one "Oh yes he did, his moon and star I do believe he called him, but as any megalomaniac he wanted to leave a legacy just in case, which is funny because my father went on to become one of the best Legionary Legates in the war, the only reason he was never made general was his house, he must be rolling in the red mountain as we speak"

They all hear a surprised gasp behind them, but it was quickly silenced almost as if on instinct. Reyvin turns around and finds a dark elf woman standing behind a corner listening in on them. He simply signals her to come forward, more of a command than a request as shown by the fire roiling in one of his hands. All the other patrons quickly move away just in case while the tavern owner looks super pissed but keeps silent for now.

The elven woman approaches slowly, while Reyvin has a slight look of recognition in his eyes 'Isn't she that mercenary you can hire at the hunter's inn or something?' when she is close enough he asks in a sharp tone "So are we going to have a problem with what you just heard?"

She remains silent for a bit then simply shakes her head "That war has long been over, and besides no one has requested your head, yet." a sadistic smile now on her face

He stares at her before slowly dispelling the flames while thinking 'I cannot kill her now, she didn't attack me and I'll be drawing mad suspicion at myself if she gets disappeared, best solution knowing she is a mercenary is to hire her' "So you seem to have no issue with me possibly being the Sharmat reborn or something equally ridiculous, why did you listen in on us anyway?"

"Well, I heard that you were going to be traveling towards Windhelm and I wanted to visit my family there" She 'shily' explains.

Reyvin groans in outrage "Why by all the gods is everyone here such a fucking gossip?" he asks, completely exasperated.

She laughs at this "Information is a pretty profitable business, and besides people get bored." She adds with a shrug.

"so I am guessing you want to head out with us?" He asks already tired from the entire event.

"Yes and don't worry, no cultists of Azura will learn of this from me, consider it a bit compensation for barging in." She smiles and walks off, not before hearing Reyvin yell out "Be at the gate the morning of the next day."

Both of his companions look at him as if waiting for an explanation, mostly Durrak but Morrigan is also fishing for details. "Fuck it give me a drink and I will give you the full history lesson" he sighs for the nth time today and starts weaving the story of false gods, reincarnations, CHIM, and a dude with three eyes wearing a pot on his head with no other clothes.

Chapter VII: The Companions, Magic, and Third Eyes

(Reyvin's POV)

After a long bit of story time where Durrak almost fell asleep three entire times we went to bed, the innkeeper yelled my ears off about fire magic inside the establishment but said that she wouldn't be charging extra due to our recent bandit slaying.

Nords really are all about reputation, once you prove yourself even a bit suddenly you aren't the dark elf but that guy who did that one thing or another.

Considering that many of my memories of my previous lifetime have partly faded and that the young Reyvin has slowly replaced the old man, the feeling of being honestly respected for your work is very refreshing when compared to the nest of vipers that was the imperial city.

Morrigan decided to go to the alchemy shop and get some work done there while Durrak and I went to the Companions hoping we could get a fighting lesson or two.

As we approach the overturned-ship turned drinking hall we hear a great bit of noise and shouting from the inside, while the smell of alcohol almost knocks me out on contact the orc next to me merely sniffs and opens the door.

As soon as we enter everyone turns quiet, the companions turn to us some in curiosity some trying to be intimidating, but jokes on you I am an old fart no amount of glaring will make me flinch.

Durrak on the other hand speaks loudly "What are all you looking at? me and my friend came here to get some practice in, any of you sober enough for it or should I get you all some milk!?"

Seeing as the orc doesn't even give a shit about the atmosphere most of them break into laughter, the bluntness of his request seems to fit the place perfectly, fucking Nords I swear to Dagoth.

Soon we are approached by the infamous twins of companions and are led outside.

Durrak goes to spar with Farkas, while I get his brother, and while the both of us put up a valiant effort we get our shit kicked in, repeatedly, for four entire hours.

Although to be fair it is not all bad, flaws are pointed out, wasted movements corrected and a beginning of a style is formed. My orc friend naturally seems not to mind this one bit, in fact the madman seems to enjoy it!

After our requested ass-whooping we pay for everyone's drinks as they didn't even ask us for a fee for the training and sit for them for a bit sharing stories, we are questioned about our recent victory and Durrak starts boisterously retelling our fight. Most of the companions are Nords so they don't react too positively when magic is mentioned but it is balanced out by us being vastly outnumbered so they do give me some grumbling respect in the end.

When it comes to the slaying of the bandit's leader I am pleasantly surprised when they all approve of the way he died, apparently he was quite the coward even if a skilled one and many people were robbed and killed by his dishonest ways, at least in the words of the Companions.

There seem to be a couple of elves in the group but they don't seem to hold too high a position which is honestly to be expected. The elven part of my mind seems to always focus on such thoughts, and in truth it would have likely formed a large part of my personality if I didn't have an entire lifetime of experience to filter them out.

After the retelling Durrak decides to stay and continue fighting with anyone who wants to challenge him while I head out back to the tavern to find a quiet corner and study a bit.

I decided to stop learning the bound weapon for the moment as after seeing what my firebolts do to people I need a ward as soon as I can get one, so the goal for today is to learn how to make them and make them quickly.

It takes me a good six hours of continuous trying and failing until I remember that I have a god damn bloodline power that is basically made for magic. Following my instincts I activate my third eye and am surprised by the vibrant colors that now surround me, everything is covered in at least a thin layer of blue but I see that some objects have a denser aura, and it seems that they are generally ones of more value... Is the value of an object that which makes it channel magic better or the magic that makes it valuable? In any case now I understand why the flames spell was simply ignored by the bandit boss.

Focusing back on the ward and following the instructions now with an extra visual aid, I manage the spell relatively quickly, it is a very simple one as it forms a layer of Magicka in front of me, though it is very static and can block only a spell or two.

Wanting to experiment a bit I try and make the shield vibrate from the center outwards but it quickly shatters, maybe my Magicka is not dense enough or the spell formula is just too basic? Something to explore when we arrive at my final destination.

I spend the rest of the day attempting to refine my fire magic, considering that I have a talent for it and a relatively good grasp on both spells already, I try making the firebolt spin and concentrate into a denser form, make the flames hotter and more focused and all other sorts of combinations, by the time my companions return my notifications look something like this:

[Str: 7 = 7.1]

[Dex: 9 = 9.4]

[Vit: 7.2 = 7.5]

[Mag: 127 = 130]

[Restoration-Apprentice: Heal(self) Heal(other) Lesser ward]

[Destruction-Apprentice: Searing flames, Firebolt]

[Swordfighting-Novice]

Yep, my flames spell seems like it has become more potent, but also more costly, I can use the downgraded version when I am low anyway, my physical stats seem to be going up steadily, its a good thing I get enough food every day or I would be perpetually tired, I also seem to be slowly filling up and becoming less of a walking twig, but the change is miniscule for now.

Anyways my companions arrive from their adventures for the day and Durrak informs us that he has decided to join the companions and as his first quest he will take us to Winterhold, when I jokingly asked does he want to get paid now he looked almost offended and simply shook his head.

Morrigan sits next to me and whispers "I have followed that elf woman from yesterday for a bit, it really does seem like she is just packing up" I nod and whisper a thanks while she continues on "I have managed to get the restoration spells you showed me down, can I get the alchemy book now?"

Ah yes I did promise I would give it to her, apparently learning healing spells was not cool enough for her or something equally childish so I had to motivate her somehow and the alchemy book seemed to interest her, well not like I need it at the moment I am focusing on far too many things.

The three of us chat for a bit before turning in for the night, tomorrow we are leaving Whiterun and heading to Windhelm, 'I just cannot wait! Snowy racism land here I come!' I think with false cheer before I fall asleep.

Chapter VIII: The Valtheim Towers and Eastmarch

We got up early and after a hearty breakfast headed out toward the gates, there as expected awaited Jenassa, the elf from the tavern two days back. We finished all preparations and headed out.

The first day of walking went by quietly with me once again nose deep in my magic notes scribbling whenever I was not afraid of tripping, Morrigan gathering random herbs on the way and Durrak excitedly looking everywhere in hopes of impaling something, he did get somewhat lucky with a very starved wolf jumping us but that mostly just annoyed him as he got excited for nothing.

Jenassa was quiet the entire way and simply spent her time enjoying the walk.

The next day we were passing next to the two towers connected by a thin bridge over the river we were following, I believe the place was called Valtheim and It is usually a bandit camp, but the skeleton brazenly standing next to the entrance proved otherwise.

[Quest initiated: eliminate the Valtheim necromancer][Reward: vit 0.5]

"Looks like your wish got granted Durrak, we have a necromancer on our hands" I quip trying to get a count of the undead inside using my third eye.

"The necromancer offends the ancestors we must paint his blood on the walls" Says Jenassa coldly.

"Must we really charge into every situation we come across? what if the necromancer is more powerful than us?" Asked Morrigan already getting annoyed with having to fight again.

"If he was powerful the skeleton would have sensed us ages ago." I swiftly explain "No, its presence is barely worth calling a proper animation and I can only detect about a dozen of them of about the same strength"

"Then what are we waiting for, lets smash them!" the Orc says already putting on his new steel helmet.

"Fine, when he starts throwing lightning storms at us don't blame me" Morrigan huffs and also starts getting ready.

The presence I detect on the other side tells me that the necromancer is not really that magically powerful, and most of his reserve is tied up keeping the skeletons going, poor fool didn't even get the memo that you need rituals to have the undead be viable on your Magicka. I relay these thoughts to my companions who seem a bit less tense, well two of them do, the remaining one is just vibrating in place ready to go in.

They signal to me that they are ready and I start casting my firebolt, now spinning in my hand it should be much faster and more precise than before, I launch it at the first skeleton and it falls apart almost immediately, sensing that the necromancer has been alerted by the connection being cut I signal for us to rush in.

Cutting through the skeletons seems really simple until ice shards start raining from above, thankfully I was able to detect them in time and started throwing out wards on top of us, they hold, if barely and the necromancer already seems tired out if his magicka outline is anything to go by.

My Orc and Dunmer companions seem in their element as Durrak smashes the skeletons with his spear and Jenassa dances around them as much as the thin bridge allows her.

The undead are quickly dispatched and we race toward the tower before the rogue mage can escape, when we enter the room he is in he looks at us with a maddened face pulling out a scroll "YOU WILL NOT STOP MY GLORIOUS RISE! ALL OF TAMRI-" he is suddenly stopped with a massive improvised javelin to the face.

Durrak walks to retrieve his spear and spits on the ground "You talk too much"

[Quest completed]

I laugh my ass off internally as I feel just a bit more energetic than when started the day, we start scouring the place for loot but don't find anything too good except for some money and a bit of food, no matter, anything is good at the moment.

We decided to spend the night here after clearing the remains and burning them.

The next day we reach a nearby inn without any issue and are served some surprisingly good food by a cook who refuses to show himself, hmm this seems familiar for some reason but I can't put my finger on it.

We spend our time in the inn resting and chatting with the passing travelers who give us rumors of a troll blocking the way to Windhelm with a rather hefty bounty on it, when we hear this I don't even need to turn around to realize who is shaking the entire table with excitement.

When it comes to advancing my spellwork I finally got the bound weapon down, it is slightly weaker than a steel weapon for now, still being better than the iron one I started out with, the blade itself is mostly dark gray with red accents, and surprisingly it looks like a normal saber if a bit more jagged at the guard and tip and not whatever spiked hell the games conjured weapons are from.

We leave early once more and thankfully there is no troll waiting for us on the road, huh someone must have already taken care of it and now I have to deal with a moping orc on the road, joy.

Morrigan laughs at the poor orc and we continue on almost forgetting the presence of our other companion, well she seems to not mind I shrug as I take out my book and continue rereading the wards section. Thinking about the troll situation even if they are weak to fire they are still massive tanks and all it takes is one mistake for us to get mauled, so I will leave the troll-slaying for when I can do it from a good distance with magicka to spare.

At the gates of Windhelm we are greeted by disdainful looks of the guards, one of the shits even spits on the ground when he sees me.

"And what do you want elf?" He asks in a very loud and brash tone.

I give him a very deadpan look and say in the most dead voice I can muster "To enter the great city of kings of course"

My tone seems to go over the dumbfucks head as he simply smiles and says "Well why didn't you say so, that'll be two septims per visitor, the city is already pretty crowded so we have to take measures"

Like hell I will believe that but honestly I am not spending my day in front of a city while freezing my balls of, especially since I am far more sensitive to it than a human. "Fine take the gold and let us in"

"I am glad we understand each other, watch yourself inside elf"

As we enter inside I say "Ah the smell of discrimination, racism and hate, if it were warmer It'd feel like home" pretending that I ever saw Morrowind.

Jenassa snorts and waves at us heading towards the grey quarter, thankfully I already asked her how to navigate the place so I don't have to chase her now.

"So what are we doing here anyway? It would be easier to just buy supplies on the way and not stop in this... lovely place" Morrigan's face visibly twitches as she attempts not to insult every Nord in earshot.

"Well I did say that I wanted to explore the world, might as well start with one of the cultural centers of the region, no matter how much of a shithole it is, and don't forget Jarl Balgruuf's letter" I answer quietly.

"Well be fine, the Nords won't dare be stupid when I whack them over the head a couple times" Durrak says without giving the slightest shit about all the nords looking at us, who then promptly turn around and continue with their day.

Huh, modern problems require ancient solutions I guess.

"Right, and for starters I think we should head into the grey quarter as well, it seems to be pretty big and I don't want to be visible in this kind of place" I say already planning on how to blend in.

My companions agree an we head towards the east of the city, meanwhile I check my progress:

[Vit: 7.5 = 8]

[Mind: 15=15.2]

[Mag 130 = 133]

[Conjuration novice: Bound saber (steel)]

Huh so using the third eye helps my mind get stronger, useful to know. I think as we enter the miserable slum known as the grey quarter.

Chapter IX: The grey quarter and obligations

As we walk the streets of the grey quarter I cannot help but wince in disgust as I see the squalor that my people live in. The houses if they can even be called that, are tiny and ramshackle, the children running around wear ragged clothes and the workers milling about the place all seem malnourished.

My blood boils at the sight but my mind remains unmoved.

My companions seem to share my feelings for their own reasons, Morrigan says in a somewhat dead tone "Even the caves seem better than this"

I nod as we keep walking towards the local cornerclub.

The inside of the New Gnisis Cornerclub seems lively if a bit dusty, Dunmer workers and even a couple of Argonians who I presume snuck inside can be seen enjoying themselves drinking their problems away.

We walk up to the bar and are greeted by an aged Dunmer man "Greetings sera, if you are looking for a taste of home I've got just the thing for you and your companions"

"Sure give us a sujamma each, haven't had one in ages" I say as we take our seats.

"Coming right up" he says as he starts pouring "So what brings you to the fabled Grey Quarter of Windhelm?"

"Honestly I heard the rumors of how the place was treated by the local Jarl and had to see it with my own eyes, does he really not give a shit about a good quarter of his city?" I ask the last part quietly.

His eyes dart around the place before turning to me "No he really doesn't, we even have gangs of nords extorting us constantly and any complaints we give are at best ignored and at worst punished, and we can't even fight back because the gangs immediately go to the Jarl and he cracks down on any of our attempts" he says in a defeated tone.

"Is there any way I could help out?" I ask almost on instinct, immediately hearing a groan from Moriggan and an approving grunt for Durrak.

'Well, at least it would be an interesting adventure, right?' The old man part of me pipes in.

He eyes us for some time before giving us our drinks and saying "Meet me after the club closes, If you are willing to get your hands dirty we could use all the help we can get" before he walks off pretending that I annoyed him not to draw too much attention.

I turn to Morrigan to explain my need to do this but she merely huffs and says "Save it, you already offered them your help without even asking, what would even be the point of explaining, just know that I am not staying here for weeks so you can finish your little gang purge"

I sigh at this and say "That was not the plan in any case, I will do what I can to help before I disappear from the city for a year at least, can you help me with this?"

She looks at me for a couple of moments and exhales tiredly "Fine, let us go galivanting once more saving the innocent, just so we can get killed"

I take a swig of the Morrowind drink and damn is it strong. I turn to Durrak who has already finished his and he merely nods to me wordlessly, I smile and go back to my drink thinking of the shit I just got myself into.

I understand that one should help those he can, but I also know that if we get caught doing anything against the locals we will be properly fucked. Unfortunately, my youthful heart seems to have won out this time but I guess that giving Ulfric the middle finger is a worthy endeavor no matter how minor the act may be.

We meet Ambarys Rendar late in the night and sit down with him, we are joined by three more Dunmer who seem to be wearing light armor and are armed with crossbows and shortswords, the lead among them looks at the club owner for a second before turning to me "So I hear we have a bleeding heart visiting" he says as if finding it funny but continues after a moment "Anyways name's Davos, me and my boys have been looking into the n'wahs that have been terrorizing the quarter these past few months and found that they have been kidnapping orphans for about a week now" he spits on the ground, and I have the urge to do it as well but this time I do maintain complete control.

Self discipline will be a must from now on it seems.

"I dunno what they are planning to do with them but I hear all manner of rumors about a coven of local rogue mages in the hills buying up anyone they can from the black market, for what reason I don't know nor do I frankly care" he continues in a harsh tone "the two groups of n'wahs will be meeting each other by the docks in about two days before heading out towards the mages together, we are plannin' on gutting them all and making it look like they offed each other, if you agree to help us you can keep a good third of the loot we find there." He looks at me expecting an answer.

I turn towards my companions who both nod, one with much less enthusiasm than the other. "Sure, we will help you out, when do we meet up?"

[Quest initiated: destroy the Nordic slaver gangs terrorizing the grey quarter][Reward: good reputation with most Dunmer who learn of you and an understanding of stealth]

"The day after tomorrow on midnight, keep in mind not to draw any suspicion on yourself"

I nod and soon we disperse.

The next day passes relatively peacefully, in the morning I went to the palace and handed Balgruuf's letter to the steward, I really don't want to meet Ulfric before I was nice and ready to gut him.

I spend most of my day offering to heal any minor injuries the locals have for a pittance or even free if they seem really destitute, this gets me some good will, but I notice some Nords glaring at me from a distance. I also manage to sell off the weapons we got from the skeletons to the local general store.

My companions spend the day either training in the case of my orc friend or just relaxing in an attempt to get over her annoyance with the situation in the case of Morrigan.

I am unable to make too much progress in my magic as I have already read and re-read all the books I have with me about a dozen times, and I really shouldn't practice fire magic inside of a city, so I join Durrak for some light sparring so I can get used to my new weapon, in which I get completely destroyed within seconds.

We spend most of the evening in the corner club preparing for what was coming. Finally midnight arrives and we head towards the dock.

Chapter X: Slaughter at The Docks and Winterhold hold

We reach the docks relatively unnoticed, the Argonian workers seem to have all thankfully gone back to their sleeping quarters. The docks are far larger than I guessed and covered in warehouses, so the two or three guards on duty tonight do not notice us.

We find our partners in crime for the night, there are six more of them than before, all equipped with the same gear I saw them carry when we first met. Davos notices us and approaches while handing us all black cloaks. "Good you came, the gangs will be meeting in about ten minutes, from what we gathered there will be about a dozen each, so we must hit them with all we have if we are to have a chance"

I ponder this for a moment and ask "Should I use magic attacks? I don't think that any of the Nords use pyromancy so it would be harder to hide our involvement"

He thinks for a second and shakes his head "We can always just dress one of the dead ones in some cheap robes, we've also prepared some witnesses among the dockworkers, and besides if I didn't guess you were a mage I'd have no reason to even invite you here in the first place"

Understandable, I nod "That's fair enough, what can we expect from the guards, how quickly do they respond?"

"Usually they don't give a shit about what is happening, but now we are going to be making a ruckus in one of the warehouses, so we can expect them to get here in minutes at worst" He explains quickly.

"What do we do after we have dealt with them? I hope you have some plans for a getaway" I question, my voice cautious.

He snorts "Don't worry, me and my group have a bunch of safehouses, but for you, we have prepared a boat at the edge of the docks. While I won't stop you from staying in Windhelm, Azura knows we could use the help, I know that you are just passing by and will be under a lot of suspicion considering you already have some reputation in the city."

Will he try to fuck me over? Is there really a boat? We can always just swim away but that will be very uncomfortable, hmm I have an idea "Can you show me to the boat, it would be better if we stocked it up in advance so we don't have to lug our things while we run?"

He looks at me for a bit, not showing any offense at my distrust, and nods "Sure it's nearby, follow me"

We are quickly shown to the boat and unload anything we won't need in the fight, Morrigan comments how I am finally using my head instead of just rushing forward but I merely shrug at her in response.

I do not regret my recent galivanting one bit, I came here to adventure and adventure I will!

With me still deep in my thoughts I don't notice when everyone tenses up, Durrak shakes me awake and we get ready, the warehouse across from our own is dimly lit, but I can see the insides with relative clarity, only about four of them have any kind of armor, most of them are carrying knives and some axes, it really is just a bunch of city gangers huh, a part of me is disappointed but I won't complain, their numbers are still going to be an issue.

In the corner I see cages filled with grey skinned children witch makes my blood boil, my orc friend almost rushes in but holds himself back, apparently all our nagging about tactics is finally getting into his head, or maybe he just didn't give a shit before and now that there are stakes beyond his own life he holds himself back?

The gangers seem to be talking about distributing the profits, I wouldn't be surprised if they really did kill each other, but that would happen only after already selling the kids off which would be pointless for us.

Four of the elven vigilantes sneak up the sides of the warehouse and set up at the windows while the remaining five including Davos, I suddenly notice a familiar face among them and whisper "Jenassa what are you doing here?"

She turns to me and amusedly says "Well I did say I was visiting family, just not what kind of family" she smiles as she readies her weapons.

I shake my head as we continue our approach, we all set up and get ready, I start casting a spinning firebolt, Morrigan prepares her root traps and Durrak positions himself for a charge, while our companions all aim their crossbows.

At Davos' signal all hell breaks loose, I immediately aim for one of the best equipped gangers who seems to be the leader of one of them, his instincts seem to be pretty damn good because he simply tilts his head to the side on reflex. His counterpart however is not so lucky because he gets deeply acquainted with a bolt to the face, at the same time six more get killed by crossbows, the remaining ones are stunned for a couple of seconds which is enough for our ground group to charge in and take down some more of them.

I charge the one that dodged my attack, casting oakflesh on myself and conjuring my saber, he notices me quickly and attacks with an axe and dagger combo, he seems trained but not too skilled, we exchange blows for some seconds when he manages to stab me in the chest with his knife, thankfully he didn't expect my skin to be too thick for iron weapons when combined with my padded shirt, so while he is distracted by my lack of reaction I slash his neck and kill him almost instantly. Another one rushes me from the side, but I quickly turn him to ash with a wave of searing flames.

I turn around and see that most of the gangers are already dead, or dying with only one of us having taken heavier injuries, the fighting continues around me as I go to heal him to at least give him enough time not to bleed out. He nods a thank you and when I turn around to rejoin the fight It already seems to be over with Davos finishing the last one by decapitating him.

We are rejoined by the ones on the roof with one remaining on lookout duty, the elves quickly free the children, some of whom are too tired to even walk, we quickly grab whatever of value that the gangs brought here and are warned by the lookout about the approaching guards.

Davos who is now carrying a child tosses me a ruby which I clumsily catch and says "I know we merely offered a share of the loot but It was more a formality, thank you for your help and may Azura give you luck" Before rushing of to the winding passages of the docks, quickly joined by the rest of his people.

The three of us do not tarry, even if we could still grab the weapons to sell it won't matter if we are caught, we run towards the boat and aren't noticed by the approaching guards, there is a lot of noise coming from the warehouse but thankfully we manage to row away before anyone decides to look around.

With the heavy atmosphere slowly leaving us Morrigan slumps down, I simply relax onto my seat and Durrak starts rowing with his usual gusto.

We reach the coast before the sun rises and sit down to rest a bit.

"Well that was an experience, I hope we won't be declared as outlaws in Windhelm tomorrow" I say to my companions, but I know deep down that realistically none of us were even noticed, so the only way we could get in trouble is if someone snitches on us.

Durrak merely shrugs "Well no one saw us so I don't think there will be problems"

Morrigan adds "I am just glad that this is all over and done with, now we can finally get on with our business without you courageously jumping into the fray to save the poor children"

"While I understand that your people don't put value on their own there is no need to project that onto those who never did you wrong Morrigan" I say slightly annoyed at her.

She pretends to ignore me but the slight flinch I saw tells another story.

"Anyways, our next stop will be the village of Bjarnstead, the southernmost settlement in the Winterhold hold, there we should get something to wear in the cold and maybe a guide"

"And rest, I really want to just sit down for a bit" adds the witch

"Fine we will get some rest as well, anything you want Durrak?" I ask the energetic Orc.

"Maybe ill grab a bow or something, those elves seemed to know what they were doing, might as well give it a shot" he finishes with a smile as we both groan at the pun.

After resting for a bit we start walking Bjarnestead which is about a third of the way to Winterhold, I really don't want to camp in the snow.

Our trip is thankfully boring and we do reach the village, It looks almost exactly like the ingame Winterhold, although still having more houses, the locals seem distrustful of us but not nearly to the level of Windhelm.

We choose take our time and rest from all the excitement as agreed, me and my witch friend start mixing all manner of ingredients and she starts teaching me a bit of the basics she knows.

Durrak visits the local shop and gets us some thick cloaks with a good quality longbow and some arrows for himself, and goes to practice with it, at least he won't have to throw his only weapon anymore, speaking of his weapon I didn't really pay attention to it but now that I take a closer look it's a gods damn orcish longspear, which yes does make sense, the dude is an orc but those damn things are expensive, I guess its his father's or something.

I manage to get some healing done around the place and earn enough coin to cover our stay here, I wonder how much I would be able to earn when I become a master and go around healing noble kids or something, that will be nice.

The next morning we take a commission to hunt down an ice wraith that has been terrorizing the local livestock, we find it with relative ease and while it did almost rip Durrak's throat out I hit it in the face with a good firebolt just in time. This earned us some more money and goodwill.

After that we mostly spent our time carousing with the locals and planning out our route, one of the local hunters even offered to guide us there for a fair price which we accepted, better not risk stumbling onto something very dangerous on our own, and I do for a fact remember there being a load of Falmer caves around, and from what we learned there are also a bunch of reiklings towards the mountains, hmm I sense some gawblin slaying in the future.

Later that day we also got news of a terrible fight erupting in the Windhelm docks, people are saying that some maddened mages from outside the city controlled the poor innocent Nords into killing each other, and people are buying that shit, seriously what the fuck?

We leave early the next day, the road to Winterhold will take us a day and a bit, which means at least one stop and there are no inns this time.

Marching to the snow as a fire attuned creature is an experience I would most definitively wish upon my enemies, seriously its almost like being burned alive but in reverse, thankfully we did buy those cloaks or I would straight up be trying to warm myself with my spells at this point, and I assure you that is a terrible idea.

Morrigan seems to share my opinion of the weather and is shaking even with the cloak, Durrak as is his usual MO is just not giving a flying fuck, seriously what are you made of?!

Our escort doesn't even seem to notice the cold, but that one I can understand he is a Dagoth damned Nord.

On the road we are spotted by a snow bear, but the hunter instructs us to keep our distance and calmly walk away, they are not aggressive in this time of the year, thankfully we are left alone.

The night is an absolute hell for me, the tents are warm but are constantly invaded by cold winds no matter what I do, it is like having a too small blanket with one end constantly being uncovered. Everyone seems amused by my 'overreaction' in their own words, but I am built for volcanoes not glaciers dammit.

The morning comes far too slowly, but thankfully it is a warm day, or well warmer than the previous one anyway. Thankfully we only have some hours of walking left.

Finally after what felt like an age of trudging through snow and cold winds we are greeted by dilapidated but still standing stone walls surrounding not quite a city, but certainly a town and behind it I see the college in all its glory, also far bigger than what I remember, but I will take it all in when I am actually closer to it.

Before we enter I check the progress I made in these couple of days.

[Quest complete, reward granted: stealth-novice]

[Vit: 8 = 8.2]

Chapter XI: Finally Winterhold

We are let through the gates of the city after a brief inspection, the guards seem indifferent to us, I guess that makes sense since a large educational center will bring people from all over the world. I am proven right soon after as there seem to be far more outlanders living in the city.

I notice all manner of people milling about, mostly nords and to a lesser degree dunmer, which is logical considering the proximity of Morrowind, there is even a not too tall mushroom tower at the edge of the city likely belonging to some Telvanni loon. There are argonian workers and khajiti traders, surprisingly there is even some altmer present, they don't seem to be thalmor agents but to be fair that would describe an agents job.

Speaking of the city its stone walls seem to end at the cliff that resulted from the great collapse, being the event that destroyed most of the city. The houses are mostly made of stone and seem to be made to keep as much heat inside as possible, the streets are neither too wide nor too narrow and there seems to be at least some healthy commerce going on, mostly alchemy shops and enchanting services, but there is also the more mundane shops and smiths.

The Jarls longhouse seems more like an old nordic stone keep and I count some hundred guards on duty, with some of them even wearing robes under their armor. Didn't the Jarl have a massive hate boner for mages in the game? Maybe he still hates them but isn't a complete idiot.

As we continue walking toward the college I finally get a glimpse of what lies down the cliff and am surprised by a small dock and some warehouses, seems that this place does deserve the moniker of a city after all.

Taking a final turn towards the college I am greeted by an absolutely massive building. The main circular section that made up the college is at least twice as large as the one in the game with three more smaller ones connected to it via thick walled passages in a triangular formation. The edges of the college plateau not taken up by buildings are covered in small parks filled with vibrant trees and flowers which they somehow grew in this accursed cold. The eastern and western circles have three tall and wide towers spreading outwards with the central one having only one taller one which I guess belongs to the archmage. The northernmost circle has no open space and is just a tall cylinder with only small windows and no exits at the top, I guess that this is either the library or a practice ground.

Deciding to take a deeper look I activate my third eye and am almost blinded by the amount of magicka radiating from the place, taking some time to calm myself while clutching my head I look again and see that every tower has its own aura, one is covered in what I can only describe as roiling thunder that is somehow burning and freezing at the same time, one feels like the void and honestly scares the shit out of me, the next seems to be a wall of iron and rock constantly changing between each other, this is the eastern wing. The western wing towers are a bit more subdued, one is glowing in a gentle gold light, the other is there but also not, and the last one's aura looks like innumerable dancing runes forming circles around each other. All of them overlap to make a massive ward that stretches all the way around the college in a ball shape, even bellow ground.

(A/n: eastern one is: N-desturtion E-Conjuration S-Alteration while the western one is N-Restoration W-Illusion and S-ritualism/mysticism)

Guess that is how the place survived the great collapse huh.

My companions look at me worriedly but I wave them off saying the wind got to me.

Finally we reach the entrance and are greeted by a tall Altmer woman I recognize as Faralda, before we go to greet her I turn towards my orc friend.

"Well we finally reached our destination. I guess this is where we part ways, it has been a blast traveling with you my friend."

He laughs with his usual gusto and says "Indeed it has my friend, but this is not the end of our adventure! When you are done drowning yourself in books we will meet again to smash some skulls and slay more evildoers!" before turning to Morrigan who gives him a much less enthusiastic farewell, his response is a grin and a wave.

After Durrak leaves, the two of us turn towards the college and start approaching the gate. "We are finally here, time to grind like a madman" Morrigan looks at me weirdly before shrugging it off as more of my bullshit and following me.

[Durrak gro-Barg pov]

I wave to my snarky witch friend and get going, Whiterun wont reach itself.

I still remember meeting them, I was barely making ends meet after being kicked out of the stronghold by my older brother, I tried hunting for food but could never catch the wildlife by surprise with my spear, even throwing it didn't work. I did manage to get some work at the wood mill of Riverwood but it was still not enough, I am a growing lad and the money I made was just too little.

Thankfully one night in the tavern I met my weird duo of buddies!

Reyvin is apparently the descendant of great warriors who slew many foes, and has come to Skyrim to follow in their footsteps. While most orcs would consider magic the weaklings weapon I know that it takes as much if not more skill to shoot fire or ice as it does to thrust a spear or swing an axe. He seems detached at times, almost as if staring at things that aren't there, but when the going gets tough he is there with you swinging at your foes while burning them. I though at first he might be one of those selfish mage types but as soon as he saw his tribe was in trouble he offered to help them without thinking! He seems to foresee trouble in the future and may Malakath damn me if I am not there helping him when it happens!

Morrigan, the escaped reachwoman seems arrogant at first glance, speaking down to most people and being very cynical. But underneath is someone hurt by betrayal and looking for safety. At first I thought her to be another selfish mage but when we were spied on by the dunmer woman in Whiterun and she immediately went to check if she was going to spread Reyvins' secret I knew she was another true friend!

Finally done with my reminiscing and thoroughly hurting my brain with all this thinking I continue my journey to rejoin the companions. Truly they are the perfect band for me, they understand what life is! Drink well, Fight well and Fuck well! Just as Malakath intended!

The mcs' stats at the end of arc 1:

[Dagoth Reyvin]

[Age: 16][Race: Dunmer][Sign: Mage]

[Str: 7.1][Dex: 9.4][Vit: 8.2][Mind: 15.5][Mag: 133]

[Mage]

[Desturction-apprentice: Searing flames, Penetrating firebolt]

[Restoration-apprentice: Heal, Lesser ward]

[Conjuration-novice: Bound weapon (steel)]

[Alteration-apprentice: Oakflesh, Lesser telekinesis]

[Alchemy-novice: salves and simple medicine]

[Enchantment-basic: evaluation]

[Warrior]

[Swordfighting-novice]

[Thief]

[Stealth-novice]

[Traits]

[Fireblood: 50% fire resistance, 20% fire damage and control]

[Blood of Dagoth: Third eye, prolonged lifespan]

[Third eye: A metaphysical eye with which you can perceive magicka]

[Minor blessing of the warrior: You learn warrior skills slightly faster]

[Minor dunmer paragon: Dunmer that learn of you will tend to have a positive opinion of you]